AmD Milltek Racing Ready For Croft

Croft Circuit - North Yorkshire, England

AmD Milltek Racing.com looks to bounce back at Croft

The AmD Milltek Racing.com team will aim to bounce back from a challenging weekend at Oulton Park when the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to Croft, North Yorkshire this weekend for the fifth round of the season.

The West Thurrock-based squad suffered a blow during the Oulton Park weekend when driver Tom Onslow-Cole revealed that he was leaving to make a return to his former team.

With just two weeks between meetings, the team made the decision that team principal Shaun Hollamby will be back behind the wheel of the AmD MIlltek Racing.com Volkswagen Golf for the fifth round of the year.

On his return to BTCC action, Shaun will aim to maintain the progress made on track by AmD Milltek Racing.com so far this season with the ever-improving Golf, with his focus on scoring his first points in the series.

“I’m quite excited about the prospect of getting back behind the wheel this weekend,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of interest in the drive since the announcement at Oulton Park, but it is important that we make the right decision when it comes to finding a new driver and I was the best option to step in this weekend.

Shaun Hollamby

Photo by: Pat Cranham

“The target for Croft is to beat our average qualifying and finishing positions so far this season and to bring home points in all three races. The car is more reliable and more competitive than it was last year and the opportunity to get back on track is an unexpected one that I have to take with both hands. Hopefully I can add my name to the list of drivers in contention to race the Golf for the rest of the season!”

Shaun heads into the weekend having tested the Volkswagen at AmD Milltek Racing.com’s home circuit of Brands Hatch; a test which marked his first chance to sample the car since it underwent extensive work over the winter – including the introduction of a turbo engine designed to the BTCC’s Next Generation Touring Car regulations.

“The test went well and there were a few things we were able to improve,” he said. “Compared to when I drove the Golf last year in its previous specification, the car has a lot more torque and more straight line-speed thanks to the turbo engine. The brakes are also a lot better, although braking is a bit more tricky as you don’t have the engine braking with the turbo that you have with the normally aspirated engine we ran last year.

“You really have to feed the power in to get the best out of the engine but with those improvements, and steering which is much sharper and more consistent than last year, the Golf feels much more like a race car than it did last season. All round, it is a much better package and I’m looking forward to racing it.”

With Shaun back behind the wheel at Croft, Rhea Beauchamp will join AmD Milltek Racing.com in the role of team manager for the weekend to allow him to focus fully on his on-track commitments.

“The boys in the team all said that I shouldn’t try and manage the team and drive this weekend,” Shaun added, “and Rhea is the ideal person to step in for the weekend to help out.

“I’ve known her for a few years from her time in the MINI Challenge and then in the BTCC last season, and she is a very straightforward and organised person who I know will keep everything in order while I focus in getting the best results possible on track.”